Bartiromo or Burnett: Who will be No. 1 at CNBC?

Commentary: It's going to be up to the new boss, Jeremy Pink

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Who will be CNBC's No. 1 anchor, Maria Bartiromo or Erin Burnett?

If they were pitted against one another in a prize fight, the announcer would hail Bartiromo as the defending champion while trumpeting Burnett as the No. 1 contender for the throne. Beyond the gossip angle, the answer to the question will go a long way toward determining the direction and tone of CNBC's news coverage.

It may just be the most interesting decision that senior vice president Jeremy Pink will have to make. Pink, who had been the president of CNBC Asia and a programming executive in Europe, was recently brought to the U.S. to oversee CNBC's news operations in this country. Jonathan Wald exited the position at the end of March.

I recently met Pink during a very loud cocktail party in Manhattan. He struck me as being serious, smart and congenial.

But Pink has to find a way to restore CNBC's image. It took a beating earlier this year.

First, there was a backlash when Rick Santelli, CNBC's financial-markets correspondent in Chicago, raged on camera against one of President Obama's policies. Jon Stewart, the host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," then made the General Electric
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unit look foolish the night when he blasted his guest, Jim Cramer, the hyper host of "Mad Money."

Speaking for many CNBC critics, Stewart contended that the network had shirked its responsibility to individual investors and spent too much time dumbing down financial stories and repackaging them as quasi-entertainment vehicles.

Pink's task will be to maintain CNBC's dominance in business-news television, in the face of competition from the Fox Business Network and Bloomberg TV, while managing to dial down the criticism. Fox Business, like MarketWatch, the publisher of this column, is owned by News Corp.
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Contrasting styles

Pink will show his hand by deciding which of the network's two very popular anchors will get the most plum assignments, the choicest CEO interviews and the lion's share of the network's marketing muscle.

Jon Friedman's Media Minute

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The question boils down to this: Who will be the face of CNBC? Will it be the no-frills, iconic Bartiromo, who has been the top anchor there for many years? Or, can the younger, breezier, fast-charging Burnett overtake her? CNBC prefers to believe that there is enough airtime and turf to accommodate both of its talented anchors.

Bartiromo first achieved prominence in the media a decade ago as "The Money Honey." Owing to her perkiness, Burnett originally carved out a niche as a Bartiromo-lite entry before attracting an audience that likes her chatty approach.

If Burnett became the No. 1 anchor at CNBC, it would send a signal to advertisers, staffers and viewers that the network favored her lighter style.

Bartiromo and Burnett issues aside, I hope very much that Pink steers CNBC away from the noisy approach that has become ever-present at CNBC. The network turns me off when its anchors and reporters bicker mindlessly. It appears they're intent to argue simply to stir up what they hope the viewers see as "controversy."

I prefer the droll, analytical musings of Joe Kernen, the breaking-news maestro David Faber and the market-savvy Bob Pisani. I liked Santelli's enthusiasm until he started raising his voice.

CNBC's dilemma

CNBC has to find a way to keep both stars, Bartiromo and Burnett, happy or risk losing one or both of them at some point.

CNBC, under pressure from the recession, has had to hold the line in salary offers to employees. But the strategy may have misfired when the popular CNBC anchor Dylan Ratigan bolted to GE's MSNBC unit after his pact ran out. Ratigan now hosts the "Morning Meeting" show.

It will be fascinating to watch Pink's impact on CNBC. He has to make some tough decisions, and the most compelling of all could prove to be this one:

Does Burnett's youth now count for more than Bartiromo's legacy?

MEDIA WEB QUESTION OF THE DAY: Which CNBC anchor do you prefer, Maria Bartiromo or Erin Burnett?

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